Measuring a "Probability" $> 1$

Abstract: The history based formalism known as Quantum Measure Theory (QMT) generalizes the concept of probability-measure so as to incorporate quantum interference. Because interference can result in a greater intensity than the simple sum of the component intensities, the \textit{quantum measure} can exceed unity, exhibiting its non-classical nature in a particularly striking manner. Here we study the two-site hopper within the context of QMT; and in an optical experiment, we determine the measure of a specific hopper event, using an ancilla based event filtering scheme. For this measure we report a value of $1.172$, which exceeds the maximum value permissible for a classical probability (namely $1$) by $13.3$ standard deviations. If an unconventional theoretical concept is to play a role in meeting the foundational challenges of quantum theory, then it seems important to bring it into contact with experiment as much as possible. Our experiment does this for the quantum measure.